This brief post aims to share a couple of data points on enterprise private wireless networks (PWN). The first is from Nokia, which reported 850 PWN customers in its 2024 annual report. Nokia has been reporting the number of PWN clients since 2019, showing a trend of steady growth. The second data point is from… Read More: Examining the Expansion of Private Wireless Networks »
I wanted to share a few thoughts as Starlink approaches 5 million subscribers—a milestone achieved in just over 4 years since launching its beta service in November 2020. This growth is particularly impressive when compared to the performance of traditional satellite service providers. Destruction in the GEO broadband market A significant portion of Starlink’s growth… Read More: The Disruptive Nature of Starlink »
Rising geopolitical tensions and recent suspected sabotage events have put the resiliency of subsea fiber optic cables under renewed scrutiny. The heightened interest in subsea cable resiliency has led leading regulatory bodies, international organizations, and governments to propose initiatives and measures to enhance the security and resiliency of subsea cables. In our recent Insight Note,… Read More: The Evolving Landscape of Subsea Fiber Cables: Geopolitics, Resiliency, and… »
During 2019 and 2020, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile acquired 73% of the millimeter wave (mmWave) licenses offered in three FCC auctions. Their combined gross bids of $9 billion accounted for 88% of the total. Just a few years earlier, these incumbent operators had begun building their mmWave portfolios through acquisitions in the secondary market. That… Read More: mmWave Spectrum: Practical Use or Strategic Necessity? »
The direct-to-device (D2D) satellite communication market is emerging as a highly competitive field, exemplified by the ongoing debates around out-of-band (OOB) power flux density (PFD) regulations. Satellite operators using terrestrial mobile spectrum as a secondary application must adhere to strict PFD limits, which impacts the performance capabilities of D2D services, with significant commercial implications for… Read More: Unpacking the PFD Debate: What It Means for SpaceX and… »
Direct-to-device (D2D) satellite communications present significant challenges, both financial and technological, that are closely interconnected. Addressing one set of challenges often increases the risk in the other. Different D2D constellations have adopted various strategies to balance commercial and technological risks. In our latest Insight Note, which you can download below, we highlight some of the… Read More: Understanding the Risks in Direct-to-Device Satellite Communications: Insights from SpaceX… »
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has introduced in 2021 a regulatory framework for Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Canada, ostensibly aimed at fostering competition. However, while these regulations appear to address some issues, they also introduce significant challenges that may undermine their effectiveness and limit the potential benefits for consumers. Download our… Read More: Canada’s MVNO Policy: Impacts on Market Dynamics »
During a period of two years, three catastrophic telecommunications network outages drew the ire of customers and scrutiny of regulators who initiated probes to understand the incidents and prevent future occurrences. The outages at Rogers (Canada), Optus (Australia), and AT&T (US) underscored the critical dependency of modern economies on telecommunications networks. Network outages impact more… Read More: Telecom Network Resiliency: Strategies and Lessons from Major Outages »
The satellite industry has adopted two primary approaches to connecting smartphones to satellites using 5G. The first approach utilizes MSS (Mobile Satellite Service) spectrum, as seen with the Globalstar-Apple collaboration. The second approach employs low-band terrestrial spectrum, such as the PCS band, which is being implemented by SpaceX and planned by startups like Lynk Global… Read More: Unlocking NTN Potential: The Strategic Use of Ka and Ku… »
Mobile infrastructure capex has declined significantly since the second quarter of 2023, following a wave of spending on 5G, with no recovery yet in sight (see here and here). While the mobile industry has faced such declines in the past, signs suggest that the current weakness could be longer and deeper than previous downturns. The… Read More: Mobile Infrastructure Capex: Permanent Weakening or Short-Term Decline? »
The wireless industry celebrated the FCC’s decision to relax certain restrictions within the CBRS band. This milestone, informally dubbed “CBRS 2.0,” promises to increase the availability of channels over a larger footprint along coastal lines and Federal facilities, and reduce restriction times. The industry views this as a significant advancement. However, how much of an… Read More: CBRS 2.0: The Impact of New Rules on Boosting Deployments… »
5G positioning and location technologies are the culmination of nearly three decades of advancements in mobile positioning technologies [see here for a very informative description]. What began as regulatory requirement for emergency services has expanded into requirements for positioning services in a host of industry verticals and use cases. To meet these new demands, 5G… Read More: 5G Positioning Unleashed: Pioneering New Services »
In recent years, regulators globally have released a significant amount of new spectrum for wireless services, primarily in the mid-bands between 3.3 and 4 GHz [See here and here]. This wave of allocations has largely subsided as most countries have now assigned the majority of the cleared spectrum. We are currently at a point where… Read More: The Spectrum Funnel: Exploring Future Mobile Frequency Bands »
T-Mobile will acquire the wireless assets of USCellular including about 4.5 million subscribers and about 30% of the spectrum assets as the figure below shows [see here]. The value of the transaction is $4.4 billion. USCellular will retain ~70% of its spectrum, which it says it plans to monetize immediately. USCellular will also keep its… Read More: A Note on USCellular Spectrum Post the T-Mobile Acquisition »
5G introduces two key technologies that significantly advance active mobile infrastructure sharing opportunities. Firstly, network slicing enables the creation of distinct virtual networks on the same physical infrastructure. These slices offer performance guarantees and ensure that clients receive contracted Service Level Agreements (SLAs), instilling confidence and predictability for both operators and customers. Notably, network slicing… Read More: New Opportunities in Active Mobile Infrastructure Sharing »